Sabbath Devotional: God's Crowded Table
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On September 15, 2001, a local gas station owner here in Mesa, AZ, Balbir Singh Sodhi, was planting flowers on the perimeter of his property for an event that weekend honoring those lost in the 9/11 attacks just four days prior. He was shot five times in what was considered the first retaliatory hate crime committed in response to 9/11. On the 20th anniversary of his horrific death, I had the beautiful opportunity to sit at the memorial service remembering the life of this incredible man. As family members and friends each spoke commemorating his life, I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by gratitude for so many good women and men in our community, who honor their individual faith and work hard to be good people and make our world a better place. There was such a special spirit there as we each lit a candle and placed it at his grave site. Then, following tradition, we all shared in a Langar meal, which is a traditional Sikh community meal served to all visitors, regardless of faith, gender, or social status, promoting equality and selfless service. It is also delicious! As I sat and broke bread with these incredible brothers and sisters, I felt so much love in my heart for them.
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf has said, “We honor and respect sincere souls from all religions, no matter where or when they lived, who have loved God, even without having the fullness of the gospel. We lift our voices in gratitude for their selflessness and courage. We embrace them as brothers and sisters, children of our Heavenly Father. . . . He hears the prayers of the humble and sincere of every nation, tongue, and people. He grants light to those who seek and honor Him and are willing to obey His commandments.” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2008/04/faith-of-our-father?lang=eng
A respect for the diverse beliefs and unique contributions of all the world’s faiths is one of the hallmarks of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. From the faith's earliest days, Joseph Smith elevated the principle of religious liberty and tolerance: “We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may” (Articles of Faith 1:11).
My life has been immeasurably blessed over the last several years from my experiences worshipping with those of other faiths. It’s been so rewarding to discover how our shared values, that humans are divine and that we are all part of a collective humanity, impact how we show up in the world. Besides sharing a Langar meal with the Sikh, some of my favorite experiences are meeting and hearing the beautiful female prophet Sudiksha of the Sant Nirankari Mission emphasizing love, peace, and universal brotherhood, joining with my friends of the Baha’i Faith who believe in the oneness of humanity, worshipping and singing praises with my dear friends at the Mt Calvary Baptist church who speak of Jesus in all that they say and do, participating in sacred Native American rituals that are deeply relational and focus on harmony with nature, spirits, and ancestors, and so many more.
I’m so grateful to belong to a church that emphasizes interfaith respect, cooperation, and friendship and urges its members to work alongside people of all faiths to strengthen our communities and promote these shared moral values. There is so much goodness to learn from other religions. I love the term “holy envy” which refers to an appreciation for the unique manifestation of beauty, holiness, and wisdom in another’s faith tradition without abandoning our own. We can easily appreciate the diverse ways that God relates to humanity, and this has led to my mind and heart being opened in ways I never thought possible.
I love what Mary Ellen Geiss with Interfaith America said when she spoke at our last MWEG conference, “We must both root down in the profound teachings of our religious traditions and rise into the highest potential of what our civic tradition invites. To live this potential out fully, we can settle for nothing less than the idea that our faith can be a bridge.” In this time of deep polarization and political unrest, our faith can be a bridge! Beautiful!
As I reflected on how our faith can be a bridge with those who are different from me, I realized that because of the intense political polarization that exists, I feel an enormous amount of tension with those of my own faith. Why is it sometimes easier to feel more unity and goodwill with those not of my faith? How can I use these skills that I’ve learned with my interfaith brothers and sisters and bring them into how I show up in my own faith community? Respect, cooperation, friendship, finding beauty, holiness, and wisdom in others’ faith — I can also work on applying these skills to those in my ward and stake. Perhaps the same table I glimpsed at that Langar meal — where all are welcome, no exceptions — is the very table God has been inviting all of us to all along. It is that same image of radical welcome I keep returning to when I feel the fractures within my own community most acutely.
In the third verse of one of my favorite hymns, My Shepherd Will Supply My Need, it says,
The sure provisions of my God
Attend me all my days;
O may Thy house be mine abode,
And all my work be praise!
There would I find a settled rest
(While others go and come),
No more a stranger or a guest,
But like a child at home.
Just like that shared Langar meal with my beautiful Sikh brothers and sisters, I picture God’s table — where there are no strangers and no guests. This includes all of God’s children of every faith or of no faith, and even those of my own faith with whom I disagree politically. No strangers. No guests. But where we are each a child at home.
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Picture taken at the 20th Anniversary memorial service of Balbir Singh Sodhi in Mesa, AZ on September 15, 2021.
Julie Spilsbury is the faithful root director at Mormon Women for Ethical Government.